Refrigerating system



Nov.

M. P. OSBOURN REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 13 1920 gi/gl /NVENTOR HTTO/PNEYS Patented Nov. 27, v1923.

Y l 1,475,505 UNITED. STATES PATENT oFFicE.

:BILLARD I. OSBOUBN, OF PHILADELPHIA7 PENNSYLVANIA.

nnrnrcnnarmc SYSTEM.

Application led August 13, 1920. Serial No. 403,333.

To all 'wwm t may concern.:

Be it known that I, MILLARD P. OsBoUnN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, in theV r tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to a system of refrigeration based upon the principle of heat extraction by evaporation of a part of the refrigerant by a constantly maintained high vacuum. lFor the purpose of more clearly illustrating the application thereof,

I have hereindescribed, and shown on the accompanying drawing, a few embodiments of my invention in apparatus adapted to carry out the principles of my invention.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a novel and useful refrigerating system or apparatus of simple construction and of'runiltary organization.

,such as water or solutions of water and a dissolved Another object is to so construct such a system or apparatus whereby the refrigerating effects, temperature depressions or heat abstractions may be accomplished wholly by a comparatively simple and re liable mechanical means without the utilization or the intervention of any chemical or chemical reactions and with the elimination of t-he complicated and cumbersome devices heretofore found essential to reach similar ends.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a system of refrigeration or a refrigerating apparatus adapted to operate upon the principle or known law of nature that the evaporation of a liquid, composed mainly substance, effects a cooling thereof, if the solution be not supplied with heat from an available source.

Another object is to provide the aforesaid system or apparatus with means, in

the attainment of the results incidental to.

` refrigeration, capable of rapidly and e'ficiently abstrahting-or absorbing heat from the refrigerant or cooling medium. f

A still further object is to provide such system or apparatus -with means adapted to produce a high vacuum or veryl low absolute pressure corresponding t) the vapor tension of the liquid or refrigerant at any desired temperature.

Still furtherobjects and advantages are to provide a system or apparatus which iscapable of great capacity; will occupy veryv little space be comparatively cheap to oonstruct, involving extremely low first cost of installation; operate very economically with practically no wear and tear and practically automatically when once set `in oper- 4 ation; require very little or no attention or attendance; be perfectly safe and free of any danger, as from explosions, requiring no pressure higher than that of the atmosphere; requirlng no chemicals, avoiding any recharging and eliminating practically all losses by leakage, corr'osion, deterioration and the like; reduce the cost of repairs and maintenance to an inconsequential or negligible quantity; operate at avery small expense of energy or power; do away with the use of steam ejectors or other steam appliances of any kind, condensers, air pumps, circulating pumps, cooling towers, cooling coils, turbines and the like, and operate with an extremely high efiiciency.

A still further object is to provide the system or apparatus with means to rendei` non-available any supply of heat from the exterior of the system or apparatus other than -from the device or-articles upon which the refrigerant or cooling medium imposes its cooling effect, such as a refrigerator containin food and ysimilar goods; such means being preferably in the nature of a vacuum jacket and being so constructed that the vacuum thereof will be self-created and self-sustained from the operation of the system or apparatus.

A still further object is to construct the apparatus for operation at pressure below that of the atmosphere, thereby avoiding the danger of-explosions, leakage and the like.

Such other objectsy and advantages that are present in my invention will more fully appear in the following specification solution (calcium chlorid may be used instead of salt or-sodium-chlorid), is cooled directly within the apparatus without the use of a separate cooler, nor of a series of devices for producing a vacuum, such as i steam ejectors, condensers and air pumps, andthe auxiliaries thereto.

My invention therefore is not limited, nor is it intended to belimited, to merely refrigeration, as it is and will be apparent from th`e herein disclosure. i

Referrin more` particularly to the drawv ings, in which corresponding reference charfor the purpose of insulating the inner chamber 2 from the inward transmission of heat thereto. To the lower portion of the chamber 2 isconnected a liquid conduit 4 leading to a rotary pum 5, of any suitable' type, which has a disc arge 6 leadingto intakes 7 connected to a pump 9, the latter being of Athe type shown and disclosed in my copending application. Serial No. 400,17 5,x filed July 30, 1920. From the`upper portion of the chamber 2 may lead one or more vapor conduits 10 to the pump 9, whereby said pump operates to withdraw vapors from the chamber 2 through the conduits 10 and to create andmaintainahigh vacuum in said chamber.

A motor 11, mounted in any suitable manner, may be connectedto a shaft 12 connected to and adapted to drive both pumps 5, and 9. rThe pump 9 operates non-sub-` merged and is provided with a conduit 12 extending upwardly and open tothe Iatmosphere, `and a conduit 13 extending downwardly and connected to a receiving chamber 14. The latter may be connected by a conduit 15 to a spray head 16 located in the` upper part of the chamber 2. Within the receiver 14 may be pivotally mounted a check valve 17' having an arm 18 and a float 19 operative upon the rise in liquid level, in the chamber 14, to cause an opening of the check valve 17 to permit the atmospheric pressure acting through the. connection 12, pump 9,

and conduit 13,upon the liquid in the chamber 14, to force the liquid upwardly through the pipe 15,to the spray head 16 where the liquid is projected in a fine spray, as shown upon the drawing. The chamber 14 may also have an auxiliary supply pipe or 'conduit 20 which may be controlled by a check valve 21 pivotally mounted in the chamber 14, said check valve being provided with an arm 22 and a-loat 23l operative, upon the fall in level of liquid in the chamber 14, to cause an opening of the check valve 21 to permit inflow of liquid into the chamber 14, and upon rise of'liquid level to close valve 21. I chamber 2 may be connected, at a-low point, by a conduit 24 leading to a coil 26 located at any suitable point Where cooling effect-s are desired, as in a refrigerator compartment, thev upper end of the coil being connected by a conduit 25 to a higher point, in the'chamber 2, just below the normal level of the liquid therein.

The conduits '4, 6, 5, as well as the receiver 14, may be heat in- `sulated in any suitable manner, as by covering the same with insulating material.

, ln operation, the motordrives the pumps 5v and 9, whereby the latter creates and maintains a vacuum-in and through the conduits 10 and in the upper portion of the chamber 2. At lthe same time the atmospheric pressure operating through the conduit 12', pump 9 and conduit 13, in the chamber 14, will force the liquid therein through the pipe 15 to the spray head 16. As the liquid is sprayed inthe upper portion of the chamber 2, in the form of a fine rain, the vacuum in said chamber wvill cause a partial evaporation ot such liquid, whereby latent heat of vaporization is extracted and the liquid collecting in the lower 'portion of the chamber 2 will be cooled. This liquid will then circulate through the conduit, 24, coil 26, and conduit 25, rising as the same is heated in the coil 26. A portion of this liquid will be used in flowing through the connection of pipe 4 to the pump 5 which will force the liquid through the connection 6 to the pump 9 where the liquid is used' in said pump to create a vacuum in the manner disclosed in my hereinbefore mentioned copending application. l

The embodimentshown in Fig. 2 Ais identical with that shown in Fig 1, with the ex- The 7, 13, 15, 10, '24, 20 and ception that the pump 5. is omitted and the The conduits 4" may alsobe insulated in the manner mentioned above in connection with the other conduits.

lin operation of this device, the motor 11 I drives the pump 9 to 'withdraw' vapors through the conduits 10 from the upper portion of the chamber 2, thereby creating and maintaining a vacuum therein, the atmospheric pressure acting through the pipes 12 and 13, pump 9, and within the chamber mingled 14, upon the surface of liquid therein to force the liquid through the conduit 15 to the spray head 16, whereby the liquid will be sprayed in the form of fine rain in the upper portion vof the chamber 2. The vacuum; produced in said chamber will accordingly cause a partial evaporation of said liquid vwhereby latent heat of vaporization is extracted and the liquid collecting in the o-wer portion of the chamber 2 is cooled. The cooled liquid will flow through the pipe 24, upwardly through the coil 26 and pipe 25. A portion of this liquid will also flow in the conduits 4 to the pump 9 whereby the liquid is operative in the pump to create a vacuumV in the manner already disclosed in my hereinbefore mentioned copending applica/tion.

Having thus described and shown upon the accompanying drawing certain embodiments constructed in accordance with my invention, it is. however. to be understood that the inventlon is not limited to the particular details and arrangement of parts shown and described, but that the invention comprehends other embodiments, details and arrangement of parts as do not depart from the spirit ofthe invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and vdesire to protect by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. In a refrigerating system, the combination of a closed chamber arranged to contain a liquid refrigerant, a pump for intimately commingling a gas or vapor with a liquid for forcibly discharging the com-` gas and liquid therefrom, mea-ns fo-r conducting said refrigerant from said chamber to said pump, means for conducting vapors or gases in said ch-amber above said refrigerant from said chamber to said pump to produce a partial vacuum in said chamber above said refrigerant, a receptacle into which the commingled vapors and refrigerant from said pump are discharged, a conduit from said receptacle to the space in saidclosed chamber above said refrigerant for conducting said refrigerant from said tank back to said closed chamber and means to sub-divide the refrigerant entering said closed chamber' into small streams which fall through the space in said closed chamber above said refrigerant.

2. In a refrigerating system, the combination of a closed chamber arranged to contain a liquid refrigerant, a pump for intimately commin ling a gas or vapor with a liquid for forcibly discharging the commingled gas andv liquid therefrom, means for conducting said refrigerant from said chamber to said pump, means for conducting vapors or gases in said chamber above said refrigerant from Said chamber to said pump to produce a partial vacuum in said chamber above said refrigerant, a receptacle open to the atmosphere and into which theV commingled vapors and refrigerant from said pump are discharged, a conduit from said receptacle. to the space in said closed chamber above said refrigerant for conducting said refrigerant from said tank back to said closed chamber and means to subdivide the refrigerant entering said closed chamber into small streams which fall through the space in said closed chamber `above said refrigerant 3. In a refrigerating system, the combination of a heated insulated chamber arranged to conta-in a liquid refrigerant, a pump' for intimately commingling a gas or vapor with a liquid for forcibly discharging the commingled gas and liquid therefrom, means for conducting said refrigerant from said chamber to said pump, means for conducting vapors or gases in said refrigerant from said chamber to-Said pump to produce a partial vacuum in said chamber above saidrefrigerant, a receptacle into which the commingled vapors and refrigerant from said pump are discharged, a, conduit from `said receptacle to the spa-ce in said closed chamber above said refrigerant for conducting said refrigerant from said tank back to said closed chamber and means to sub-divide the refrigerant entering said closed chamber into small streams which fall through the space in said closed chamber above said refrigerant.

4. In a refrigerating system. the combination of a heat insulated to contain a liquid refrigerant, a pump for intimately commingling a gas or vapor with a liquid for `forcibly discharging the 00mmingled gas and liquid therefrom, means for conducting said refrigerant from said chamber to said pumpf, means for conducting vapors or gases in said chamber above said refrigerant from said chamber to said pump to produce a partial vacuum in said chamber above said refrigerant, a receptacle into which the commingled vapors and refrigerant from said pump are discharged, a conduit from said receptacle to the space in said closed chamber' above said refrigerant for conducting said refrigerant from said tank back to said closed chamber, means to sub-divide the refrigerant entering said closed chamber into small streams which' fall through the space in said closed chamber above said refrigerant and a coil,

outside of said closed chamber and through which the refrigerant inls'aid closed chamber circulates.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of August, 1920.

MILLARD P. osBoURN.

said chamber above chamber arranged 

